Most parents don't hand over that first smartphone because they're excited about TikTok, YouTube, and group chats. They do it because their child needs a way to call home.

That simple need has turned into one of the hardest decisions in modern parenting.

Jennifer Jolly talks with Russell York, founder and CEO of Cosmo, about what should come before a child's first smartphone. Cosmo makes kids' smartwatches — including the JrTrack 5 — that let kids call, text, and share location with approved contacts, without social media, YouTube, or an open browser. Cosmo calls the dread parents feel around all of this "techxiety," and York says he's got it too.

Jennifer's tested nearly every kids' watch out there, and she puts the JrTrack 5 through its paces — including the billing fine print Cosmo doesn't advertise. She also pushes York on Apple's parental controls, Big Tech's incentives, school phone bans, and the class divide in family screen time.

York's strongest point might be the simplest one: kids have always needed a way to reach home. They had payphones, quarters, collect calls, and a friend's kitchen phone. The payphone disappeared. The smartphone replaced it. Parents are now trying to rebuild the missing step in between.

In this episode:

• What "techxiety" is — and why the CEO who named it has it too

• Why Meta's $375 million verdict didn't change a thing

• Is Apple's biggest-ever parental controls update real, or PR?

• The Screen Time passcode loophole every kid figures out

• What the JrTrack 5 gets right — and the billing catch to know before you buy

• Safety or surveillance? Tracking your kid and the trust question

• "Natural light vs. processed light" — the class divide nobody talks about

Best quote: "We have always connected kids. And it's always been something that society understood was a right that everybody had — to call for help, to connect with your parents." — Russell York

Full story, links and product details: Techish.com

Questions or guest ideas: [email protected]

Subscribe to Techish with Jennifer Jolly for straight answers about the technology showing up in your life, your home, and your family.

We're all panicking about AI. We're also all using it. So which is it — should we be afraid, or should we relax?

In this episode of Techish with Jennifer Jolly, I sit down with Tristan Harris — the former Google ethicist behind the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, who warned us about social media's harm to young people years before a jury found Meta guilty of doing exactly that. He's now one of the central voices in a new documentary called "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist," out now from the team behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Oscar-winning Navalny. The film features three of the five biggest AI CEOs on the planet — Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind — all reacting to the same set of facts.

In this conversation, we cover:

• How AI is already going rogue — the Alibaba model that secretly mined cryptocurrency during training, the Anthropic test where AI models blackmailed an executive 79-96% of the time, the Palisade Research findings on AI rewriting its own code to avoid shutdown
• Why your job is the actual business model — and what "arm farms" in LA are training robots to do right now
• Why Tristan refuses to call himself either an optimist or a pessimist — and what he says we actually need instead
• The "post-tragic optimism" frame that's changed how I think about what's coming
• What every parent, worker, and ordinary person can do right now to protect what matters most

This is the conversation I think everyone needs to hear before the AI debate moves another inch forward.

About Tristan Harris: Tristan is the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and one of the most influential voices on the ethics of consumer technology. He's been called "the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience."

About the host: Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy-winning tech journalist, USA Today columnist, NBC's Today Show contributor, and host of Techish with Jennifer Jolly.

Watch the documentary: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist — in theaters and streaming via Focus Features.

Read the full breakdown: [techish.com/podcast]

Talk to me:

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Apple built the world we live in on our phones. Now it’s working on what comes after them.

In this week’s episode, I sat down with David Pogue. THE David Pogue. He's the guy who tells the most important consumer tech stories on the planet, in a way that makes you forget it’s about buttons and features, and reminds you it’s about real life.

David’s covered Apple for longer than I have — about 35 years. He was the tech columnist at the New York Times for 13 years, a seven-time Emmy winner on CBS Sunday Morning, and the reason your iPhone has a screenshot button. This is such a great conversation…

Why this matters:

We talk about David’s new book, Apple: The First 50 Years — the most accurate, journalistic, and genuinely great account of one of the most iconic companies in history. This is the version of Apple's story most people think they know — and then what actually happened. Spoiler alert: The myth is fine, but the truth is way better.

We got into the foldable iPhone — what Pogue thinks is actually coming and why it's different from everything you've seen so far. We got into what Apple is doing with AI that is dramatically different from everyone else — and whether that's because they're being responsible or just running behind. And we got into where Apple is quietly headed next, and it has nothing to do with a screen. We also talk about why so many "next big things" in tech fail. And the most important part — is any of this actually making life better?

If Apple gets this right, the goal isn't a better iPhone. It's about needing your phone less.

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Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Five stars on Apple Podcasts help more people find this show.

Chapters

01:14 Meeting David Pogue + Apple at 50

04:03 The real Apple story (and the myths we believe)

07:16 Did Apple become what it once fought?

10:30 Life after screens: glasses, AirPods & what’s next

11:09 Apple’s AI strategy (and why it’s so different)

15:12 Does Siri suck, or is it just me?

18:16 Has Apple lost its innovation edge?

24:01 Apple’s controversies, leadership & what comes next

31:32 The screenshot story + final takeaways

Note: We recorded this episode before Tim Cook announced he’s stepping down in September.

Links:

• Buy David’s book
• See David’s extended interview with Tim Cook
• Pogue’s Posts, now back on Substack

I was a mom who was paying attention. I tested Meta's parental controls and wrote about teen screen addiction for USA Today. I talked with my daughter about everything and watched over her social media accounts. I still had no idea Instagram was feeding my high school cross-country star a steady diet of thinspo and eating disorder content.

Two juries just confirmed what parents like me eventually started to suspect: these companies knew their apps were harming children, documented it internally, and kept right on doing it anyway.

Tristan Harris — the former Google ethicist behind The Social Dilemma — explains why a $381 million fine is a rounding error for a company that made $235 billion last year, and what would actually force change. Kristin Bride, whose 16-year-old son Carson died by suicide after being cyberbullied on Snapchat, answers the question everyone asked after the verdicts: Where were the parents? She was there. She did everything right. It still wasn't enough. And Reuters reporter Diana Novak Jones breaks down Section 230 — the law that has shielded these companies for decades and may finally be losing its grip.

If you have a child with a phone or a parent struggling to find the best ways to manage the teen years and social media, this episode is a must-see. I wish I had it when my daughter was 16.

WHAT META'S OWN DOCUMENTS REVEALED

— 32% of teen girls said Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies

— A Meta researcher wrote internally: "IG is a drug. We're basically pushers."

— A 2018 document said: "If we want to win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens."

— An employee brought suicide statistics to Zuckerberg and Sandberg directly. No response.

WATCH & READ MORE

Your Attention Please documentary: yourattentionpleasedoc.com

Parents Rise: parentsrise.org

Wait Until 8th: waituntil8th.org

Center for Humane Technology: humanetech.com

Full show notes: techish.substack.com/p/where-were-the-parents-social-media-verdict

CONNECT WITH JENNIFER

• Listen on WGN, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify
• Newsletter: Techish by Jennifer Jolly
• YouTube: @TechishbyJenniferJolly
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• LinkedIn: Jennifer Jolly

Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. Five stars on Apple Podcasts help more parents find this show.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

If you have a teenager on Instagram right now, what's your biggest fear — and what would actually make you feel like they were safe? Let’s talk about it.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you like what you hear, please rate and review Techish with Jennifer Jolly — it helps more people find the show. Questions or comments? Email [email protected].

When is the right age to give your kid a phone? It’s become a modern milestone—but we’re doing a lot less to prepare our kids for it than we think.

A phone means they can reach us, we can reach them, and they’re part of the world their friends are already in. It feels practical. It feels harmless.

But this isn’t really about screen time. It’s about what these devices open up when kids aren’t ready to handle them.

In this episode, I sit down with Dane Witbeck, founder of Pinwheel, to talk through what’s actually going on—what the research shows, what parents are dealing with in real life, and what it looks like to do this better.

We get into why parental controls don’t work the way most people think, what actually drives anxiety and behavior changes in kids, the difference between giving a child a phone and giving them access to everything on it, the stage gates approach to letting kids earn more access over time, and whether waiting helps or backfires.

If you’re trying to figure out what to do about phones in your own family, this conversation gives you a clearer place to start.

Products: pinwheel.com, gabb.com, bark.us, troomi.com

Resources and USA Today reviews: techish.com

If your child has been targeted online: cybertipline.org or 1-800-THE-LOST

This is a story of tech fixing something very broken. Then "the system" breaking it again.

Menopause. The Change. Cougar Puberty. Whatever you want to call it, it's having a moment — and it's worth knowing about, no matter how old you are or whether you think this has anything to do with you. (Spoiler: It does.)

For twenty years, doctors told millions of women their symptoms were stress, aging, or all in their heads. Then the internet showed up. TikTok, Reddit, telehealth, and a billion views on the menopause hashtag later, HRT prescriptions jumped 86%, the FDA finally acted — and I found Midi Health. For the first time in years, someone actually listened.

Now here's the plot twist nobody planned for: women finally got the green light on hormone therapy, and now they can't fill their prescriptions. I sit down with Midi Health CEO Joanna Strober — whose telehealth company treats 25,000 women a week and just hit a billion-dollar valuation — to talk about what tech fixed, what's broken again, and whether it can pull off a second act.

What You'll Learn

• What caused the estrogen and progesterone shortage — and why it's about to get worse
• Why 20% of middle-aged women are on SSRIs when hormones might work better — and why nobody has ever done that comparison study
• How Midi is using AI to scale care without losing the human connection
• What longevity actually means for women in their 40s and 50s — and the new women's blood test coming later this year

Episode Resources

• Midi Health — midihealth.com
• Estrogen patch shortage coverage at Techish.com
• Jennifer’s coverage on this issue in USA Today.

Tell Us What You Think

Are you dealing with the shortage? Have you tried telehealth for perimenopause or menopause — and did it change anything? We want to hear from you. And if you know a woman between 35 and 65 who's been told it's all in her head — send her this episode.

Connect with Jenn

• Newsletter: Techish by Jennifer Jolly
• Instagram: @JennJolly
• YouTube: @TechishbyJenniferJolly
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• LinkedIn: Jennifer Jolly

Support the Show

If this one mattered to you — or to someone you love — please rate and review Techishly Jenn. It helps more people find the show. And text it to someone. Like a human.

"I tell you guys how to be less addicted to your phones, get more out of your life — and I feel so broken right now."

That's me — a consumer tech journalist who has spent nearly 20 years telling you exactly how not to let your phone run your life. Now I'm coming clean. I am addicted to my smartphone. Not casually. Clinically.

My screen time average? Nearly 11 hours a day. That adds up to almost 18 years of the rest of my life — not with my family, not doing things that fill my soul. Half of my the life that I have left on this planet. On a phone.

It gets worse. A child who gets a smartphone at 13 will spend an estimated 22.3 years of their life staring at a screen.

This is Part One of my very public reckoning — with the science, the data, the counterarguments, and six fixes that actually work.

Mentioned in this episode:

1. Dr. Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation
2. Elana Klein, WIRED: "Dumbphones"
3. Sathnam Sanghera and Ezra Klein (Instagram/YouTube posts linked at Techish.com)
4. Screen Time (iPhone): Settings → Screen Time (how-to @techish.com)
5. Digital Wellbeing (Android): Settings → Digital Wellbeing (how-to @techish.com)

Listen: WGN · Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Follow: @JennJolly (Instagram) · @JenniferJollyTechish (TikTok) · @TechishbyJenniferJolly (YouTube)

Support the Show:

If this one hit close to home, please share it. Text it — like a human — to someone you've been wanting to have this conversation with. Rate and review wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email [email protected].

The IRS is using it. So are many filers. Here’s what you 

"I am more concerned about the IRS having really bad AI than I am about our tax software having decent AI. The IRS and AI—what could possibly go wrong?"

That's the question driving this episode of Techishly Jenn. Tax season is here, and for the first time, AI isn't just a feature—it's actively processing your return and the IRS system reviewing it. Algorithm vs. algorithm. And your biggest check of the year is sitting right in the middle.

Host Jennifer Jolly talks with Intuit executive Mark Notarainni about how TurboTax and Credit Karma are using AI with guardrails, human review, and serious security protections. But she doesn't stop there. She tracks down real users—like 26-year-old startup founder Musa Hakim Jr., who says AI made filing "easier, faster, clearer"—and skeptics like performer Barbara Kamara, who caught ChatGPT giving flat-out wrong tax advice.

From cost basis errors that cost people thousands, to the IRS using machine learning to flag side hustles and crypto, this episode breaks down what's hype, what's helpful, and what could bite you if you're not paying attention.

What You'll Learn

• How the IRS uses AI to flag higher-risk returns (and what triggers it)
• Why random chatbots are dangerous for tax advice—and what makes tax-specific AI different
• What "AI + human review" actually means inside TurboTax and Credit Karma
• How AI caught $12,000 in missing deductions for one type of filer alone
• Why transparency matters more than speed when your refund is on the line
• The real difference between automation and guardrails

• Listen on WGN, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify
• Newsletter: Techish by Jennifer Jolly
• YouTube: @TechishbyJenniferJolly
• TikTok: @JenniferJollyTechish
• Instagram: @JennJolly
• Twitter/X: @JenniferJolly
• LinkedIn: Jennifer Jolly

Episode Resources

• TurboTax
• Credit Karma
• Consumer Reports insights on AI transparency
• Techish.com 

Tell Us What You Think

Would you trust AI to do your taxes? Have you already filed this year? Did it help — or just make things more confusing? Drop your thoughts below.

Support the Show

If you like what you hear, please rate and review Techishly Jenn — it helps more people find the show. Questions or comments? Email [email protected].

Recurring guest, Andrew Yang is back — and he’s not pulling punches. 

In this wide-ranging, deeply honest conversation, Jenn sits down with Yang to talk about the forces reshaping our lives right now: AI, money, power, politics, and what happens when technology moves faster than our institutions can handle.

This isn’t a campaign speech or a tech hype session, it’s a real, sometimes funny, sometimes unsettling conversation about why Americans feel squeezed, why trust in institutions is collapsing, and why AI is about to upend work, wealth, and opportunity whether we’re ready or not. 

Yang opens up about running for president (again), the broken two-party system, why Silicon Valley lost its moral compass, and what it actually takes to build businesses that help people instead of extracting from them.

Along the way, Jenn pushes Yang on a few topics like billionaires burning money on ego projects, why universal basic income is no longer a fringe idea, and how companies like Yang’s Noble Mobile are trying (quietly) to put cash back into people’s pockets. It’s candid, emotional, occasionally profane, and one of the most unfiltered conversations we’ve had on the show.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s really running the country — politicians, tech giants, or venture capital — this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Andrew Yang says the odds of him running for president again are “very high”
• How AI is already hollowing out jobs — and why worse disruption is coming fast
• Why Silicon Valley abandoned the idea of helping society and chased power instead
• How the two-party system is breaking down — and what could replace it
• Why universal basic income is becoming unavoidable, not radical
• How Noble Mobile works — and how your phone plan might actually save you money
• Why Americans feel poorer even when the economy says they’re “doing fine”
• Who Yang believes is still doing business the right way — and why that matters

• Listen on WGN, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify
• Newsletter: Techish by Jennifer Jolly
• YouTube: @TechishbyJenniferJolly
• TikTok: @JenniferJollyTechish
• Instagram: @JennJolly
• Twitter/X: @JenniferJolly
• LinkedIn: Jennifer Jolly

Episode Resources

• Andrew Yang (website)
• Andrew Yang (newsletter)
• The War on Normal People
• Noble Mobile
• Forward Party

Tell Us What You Think

Do you think AI will actually make life better — or just make a few people richer? Would you ever trust a company that claims it wants to make you less broke? Drop your thoughts, push back, or tell us where you agree (or disagree) — this is one we expect people to argue about.

Support the Show

If you like what you hear, please rate and review Techishly Jenn — it helps more people find the show. Questions or comments? Email [email protected].

This is a can’t miss episode.

There’s a quiet rebellion happening — in kitchens, classrooms, and bedrooms — and it’s not coming from Silicon Valley. In this powerful episode of Techishly Jenn, Jenn sits down with Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price, co-authors of the new book The Amazing Generation, to talk about what’s really happening to kids growing up with smartphones, social media, and now AI.

If The Anxious Generation helped parents understand what went wrong, The Amazing Generation is about what comes next — and why kids themselves are starting to say “enough.” 

This isn’t a tech-panic episode. Jenn, Jonathan, and Catherine make it clear: technology isn’t the enemy. But addictive design, unregulated platforms, and giving kids adult-grade tech before their brains are ready? That’s where things go sideways.

Together, they unpack how smartphones became “supercomputer slot machines,” why social media harms girls and the broader techno-sphere traps boys, and why AI may pose an even bigger developmental threat if we don’t slow down and get this right. Along the way, Jenn shares candid parenting moments, including the uncomfortable but essential question every parent should ask their child — and themselves.

This is one of the most honest, emotional, and practical conversations we’ve had on the show — about kids, screens, guilt, hope, and how we reclaim childhood without shame or lectures.

• Why kids don’t need smartphones — and what they actually need instead
• How social media and games are deliberately designed to hijack young brains
• Why the damage isn’t anecdotal anymore — and what the research really shows
• Why girls are hit hardest by social media and boys by the broader techno-sphere
• The heartbreaking question parents should ask their kids about phone use
• Why “no screens in bedrooms” is the single most important rule you can make
• How AI could be more dangerous than social media for child development
• Why kids themselves are leading the rebellion — and what gives real hope

• The Amazing Generation (website)
• The Amazing Generation (book)
• Jonathan Haidt (website) 
• Jonathan Haidt (Instagram)
• Catherine Price (website)
• Catherine Price (Instagram)

Tell Us What You Think

Have you already given your child a smartphone — and now wish you’d waited? What rules are working (or not) in your house? This episode isn’t about guilt — it’s about doing better together. Share your thoughts, questions, and hard moments with us.

Support the Show

Do us a favor. If you like what you hear, please rate and review Techishly Jenn — it helps more people find the show. Send your questions and comments to [email protected]. 

• Listen on WGN, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify
• Newsletter: Techish by Jennifer Jolly
• YouTube: @TechishbyJenniferJolly
• TikTok: @JenniferJollyTechish
• Instagram: @JennJolly
• Twitter/X: @JenniferJolly
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